Primary Carcinomas of the Liver in Hong Kong: Some Possible Aetiological Factors

Abstract

The incidence of primary liver-cell cancer differs greatly from one part of the world to another. On the basis of the incidence rates published by U.I.C.C. (Doll, Payne and Waterhouse, 1966), Hutt (1971) defined three main groups of territories. The first group includes areas in Africa south of the Sahara and in southeast Asia where a rate of 5 or more per 100,000 of the population per year for males was recorded. In the second group, which includes Japan and Denmark, incidence rates from 5 to 3.1 were listed. The third group of low-incidence areas includes northern India, Australia, the Americas and most of Europe for which rates of 3 or less were given. Although strictly comparable rates are not available for Hong Kong, BELA-MARIC (1969) worked out a minimum rate of 5.9 there. Primary carcinoma of the liver is also a common tumour in China generally (Chinese Medical Association, 1958). In Chinese in Singapore the incidence rate is 31 per 100,000 per year for males (Simonset al., 1971).